The key to making people interested in science has nothing to do with Creature Creators and evolution. It has everything to do with creating epic devices that seemingly have the potential to kill us all, and then having scientists spend all their time talking about why it won't actually kill us.
It's completely perfect, then, that a contest has been held with the hopes of renaming the Large Hadron Collider to something a bit more dramatic.
So I present to you: Halo.
The name came in from hundreds of people to London's Royal Society of Chemistry, which held the contest. The catch is that the RSC isn't exactly working on the LHC itself, so they're going to formally suggest the new name to CERN and the Institute of Physics.
CERN spokesman James Gillies gave the Telegraph the following stick-in-the-mud quote:
"We're flattered that the RSC should take such an interest in our public image, and we find the name Halo to be apposite. However, the LHC will not be changing its name."
Dude, come on! Name it after the big ring from the video game! You know, the big ring that was really just a huge death ray? Hitch your wagon up to a death machine! Start calling the thing that starts it up The Index! Years of bad, jokey posts from dorks like me about how they'll need to keep space marines out of the test chamber depend on it! Also... does this mean that the Flood are going to invade Earth soon?
[Originally seen on Geekologie.]